Bark-rossing machine



.1. W. VANDERVEER AND W L. LYNCH.

I BARK ROSSING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED OCT-14.1916. 1,306,869. Patented June 17, 1919.

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A TTORNE Y8 we Nmzms PETERS cm. Pnu'ro-Llvna, \vAsHmcwN, 1,

J. W. VANDERVEER AND W. L. LYNCH.

BARK ROSSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-14.1916.

Patente& June 17, 1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2 M Q I w wan 1. W. VANDERVEER AND W. L.-LYNCH.

BARK ROSSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. I4.'19rs.

A TTORIV E Y8 INC NORRIS PETERS CO. PHOTDilTNQJWASHINflTON, D. C.

J. W. VANDERVEER A ND LLLYNCH.

BARKROSSING MACHINE.

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ms uoRms PETERS camnmuma. vusmuarwv. n. c.

UNTT T TS ET @FEQE.

JFWELL W. VANDERVEER AND WILLIAM L. LYNCH, OF LIVERPOOL, NEW YORK.

BARK-ROSSING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 17, 1919.

Application filed. October 14, 1916. Serial No. 125,574.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, J EWELL W. VANDER- vans and WILLIAM L. LYNCH, citizens of the United States, and residents of Liverpool, in the county of Onondaga York, have invented a certain new and useful Bark-Rossing Machine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object the production of a bark rossing machine in which the branch is gripped and held gripped during each stripping operation and in which the gripping and the stripping means are opened and closed once during each strip ping operation; and the invention consists in the featu es and in the combinations and constructions hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a side elevation of a preferable form of our machine, the contiguous portions of the tables from which the branches are fed to the machine being also shown.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of parts seen in Fig. 1, the tables being omitted.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the machine.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view partly in elevation, taken on the plane of line 44,-, Fig. 2.

ig. 5 is an enlarged detail view of the gripping means and contiguous paits.

Fig. 6 is an elevation of parts seen in Fig. 1, one of the strippers being also shown.

Figs. 7 and 8 are enlarged detail views, partly in section, showin the gripper and stripper jaws coacting w1th a branch, the jaws being open in Fig. 7 and closed on the branch in Fig. 8.

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the central part of the machine, parts being omitted, illustratin the driving mechanism.

Fig. 10 is a plan view of the cam plates and State of N ew' gripping means are supported by the carr age and move therewith while the stripplng means is stationary with respect to the traveling movement of the carriage and said carriage has a backand forth and preferably a reciprocating motion. The machine here shown is of double construction and double ended, that is, the branches can be fed thereto at two places, at each end of the machine although it will be obvious that the machine may be of single construction.

1 designates the main frame of the machine which supports the driving mechanism, said frame being in the form of a table 2 supported upon standards or legs 3.

4 designates guides or tracks for the movable carriages, there being a guide for each carriage and a pair of these guides extending from each end of the table.

5 designates the reciprocating carriages which support the gripping means, the carriages 5 at each end of the machine reciprocating oppositely relatively to each other, that is, one moves forwardly to receive a branch while the other moves backwardly pulling another branch, and the carriages at one end of the machine being connected with the carriages 5 on the other end of the machine, so that when carriage 5 on one end of the machine is moving forwardly to receive a branch, the companion carriage 5 on the which operate the stripper jaws, contiguous means being carried by the carriage, the

gripping means and the stripping means having an opening and closing movement, and means for opening and closing the gripping apd stripping means once during each operation. H 1

this embodiment of ourinvenfaen, the

other end of the machine, connected thereto is moving rearwardly pulling a branch which is engaged by its grippers.

The guides a are supported at their inher ends on the table 2 and at their outer ends by supplemental frames 6. The carriages 5 are here shown as bars supported by hangers 7 having rolles 8 movable along the upper sides of the guides or tracks l.

The gripping means comprises a pair of jaws 9 provided with knives 9 the edges of which cut through the bark and partly through the wood of the branch (Fig. 8), the jaws being pivoted at 10 to each carriage on the advance end thereof and having an opening and closing movement in a direction at an angle to the travel of the carriage. The jaws 9 are also preferably provided with stops 9* (Fig. 5), for preventing the jaws fromclosing far enough to cut the branch in two. Each pair of jaws 9 is opened by mechanism to be presently described,- against the action of a spring 11 mounted on a rod 12 pivoted at 13 to one jaw and extending through a swivelcd eye 14 on the other jaw, the spring being interposed between the eye 14 and a shoulder, as a nut 15 on the rod. As the jaws are opened, the rod slides endwisely to the right, Fig. 5, thus moving the eye 14 and the shoulder 15 on the rod toward each other and compressing the spring. Each pair of aws 9 is opened against the action of the spring 11 by means of a cam or wedge 16, Figs. 1 and 5, 6, supported by the companion carriage 5 and having a movement relatively thereto at the end of the forward and backward movement of the carriage.

In this form of our invention, the cam 16 is a cone or expander mounted upon the rod 17 slidable in the hanger 7 at the ad Vance end of the companion carriage 5, and having a projection 18 in advance of the cone and a shoulder 19 in the rear of the cone, the shoulder 19 limiting the sliding movement of the rod 17 in one direction and the cam serving as a shoulder for limiting the sliding movement of the rod in the opposite direction. The cam 16 coacts or enters between the jaws 9, and preferably the jaws are provided with rollers 20, Figs. 5 and 6, for co-acting with the cam. Each projection 18 coacts with an adjustable stop 21 on the contiguous frame 6 at the end of the forward throw of the companion carriage 5, and the shoulder 19 engages a stop 22 at the end of the rearward movement of the carriage. Each stop 22 is fixed on the frame in the path of one of the shoulders 19.

During the backward or inward movement of the carriage 5, the shoulder 19 engages its stop 22 and forces the rod 17 to the left, Fig. 6 wedging the cone 16 between the rollers 20 and opening the jaws 9 against the action of the spring 11, permitting the branch to drop.

During the forward or outward movement of the carriages, the projection 18 in front of the cam 16 engages the stop 21 as the carriage 5 reaches its forward or receiving position, thus moving the cone 16 from between the rollers 20 of the jaws so that the jaws can close onto the branch previously fed by the operator, or automatically, between the same.

24, 25 designate the strippers of each pair which are in the form of a pair of jaws located at each end of the machine and having an opening and closing movement. Each jaw is provided with a facing 26 of abrading material preferably of rubber. One of the jaws as 24 of each pair is movable to effect the opening and closing movement of the stripping 'means, and the other is yicldingly mounted, it being here shown as having a stem 27 slidable in a suitable bearing in the contiguous frame 6,. against the action of the compression spring 28 encircling said rod and interposed between the aw 25 and the frame 6. The movable jaw 24 is double in construction, that is, it has abrading faces 26 on opposite sides thereof in order to coact alternately with the two jaws 25 at each end of the machine. Each jaw 24 at each end of the machine, is here shown as carried by an arm 29 mounted on a rock shaft 30 journaled at one end in a bearing 31 in the frame element 6 and at its other end in a bearing 32 supported on the table 2, each rock shaft 30 having an arm 33 at its inner end coacting with the shifting member or cam.

34 designates the shifting member which is a cam plate slidable in suitable ways 35, Fig. 10 on the table 2, this plate having a cam groove 36 therein which receives the ends of a roller 37 on the end of the arm 33. As the machine is double ended, the plate is double in construction, and provided with two cam grooves 36. The plate 34 is provided with an arm 34 projecting from each end thereof and arranged in the path of one ofthe hangers 7 on the contiguous carriage 5. During the movement of one of the left hand carriages 5 inwardly, the inner hanger 7 thereof engages the arm 34 on the left end of the plate 34 and shifts the plate 34 to the right and the shoulder 19 on the rod 17 of the gripper operating means associated with said carriage, engages the stop 22 on the left hand side of the table and said rod 17 is shifted as previously described to open the gripper 9.

The movement of the plate 34 to the right into the position shown in Fig. 10 rocks the arm 33 to the right Fig. 3 and the left hand rock shaft 30 which moves the rock arm 29 to open one pair of jaws 24, 25 and close the other pair on the left hand end of the machine. Theother or right hand rock shaft is also rocked, during the movement of the companion carriage 5 on the right hand end of the machine, the hanger on one of the carriages 5 engaging the shoulder 34 on the right end of the plate 34 and shifts the plate to the left, and the shoulder 19 on the rod 17 of its stripper operating mechanism, engages the stop 22 on the right hand end of the frame.

Owing to the opposite arrangement of the cam slots 36, the shaft 30' on one side of the machine moves in the opposite direction to that on the opposite sides of the machine.

The means for actuating the carriage 5, includes a driving shaft 38 and power transmitting mechanism between the shaft and the carriages 5 to impart a reciprocating motion thereto.

As here shown, the power transmitting mechanism comprises a crank 39 located on the shaft 38 and connected to a reciprocating slide 40 by a connecting rod 41,-. a rack 42 formed on the slides, a pinion 43 mountacl on the lower end of a vertical shaft 44 and meshing with the rack 42, a gear 45 mounted on the upper end of the shaft 44 and meshing on opposite sides of its axis with pinions 46 mounted upon vertical shafts 47 suitably supported on the table 2, and gears 48 mounted on the shafts 47 below the pinions 46 and the gear 45 and meshing with racks 49 on the carriages 5.

As each carriage 5 is double, that'is, the carriage 5 on one end of the machine is coupled with and moves as a unit with the carriage 5 on the other end of the machine, the two carriages which move in unison, are provided with a single rack 49 common to both carriages. A pulley 50 is supported on the driving shaft 38.

In operation, the branches which have been steamed or otherwise treated, to soften the bark are fed in at each end of the machine from the tables 51 and while one pair of jaws 24, 25 at each end of the machine is closed on the branch between the same, another branch can be positioned with its butt end between the open pair of jaws 24, 25 and as the carriages 5 at each end of the machine are working alternately with each other, that is, they reciprocate in opposite directions, one carriage moves rearwardly or inwardly, pulling the branch held by its grippers 9 between the closed set of jaws 24, 25, the other grippers 9 are being moved forwardly by their carriage 5, into position to grip the branch between the open pair of jaws 24, 25, and the jaws 9 and 24, 25 are opened and closed at the end of each forward and backward movement as previously described.

During the movement of the branch, the strippers engage the bark on the same sides of the branch that the knives of the gripper have cut the incisions, and the strippers in addition to stripping off the bark between the knives and the small end of the branch, pulls off the bark between the knives and the large end,'owing to the two narrow necks of bark remaining between the knives.

\Vhen each carriage 5 reaches its rearward position and the grippers and strippers are open, the branch can fall by gravity, and also the accumulated bark on the strippers can fall by gravity so that no mechanism is necessary for removing the branch from the grippers or the bark from the strippers.

Vhat we claim is:

1. A bark rossing machine comprising branch gripping means, bark stripping means, a carriage movable horizontally, one of said means being carried by the carriage, the gripping means and the stripping means having an opening and closing movement in horizontal directions at an angle to the traveling movement of the carriage, the jaws being arranged so that when open, unobstructed space 1s provided below the jaws,

and means supporting the jaws arranged out of the vertical plane in which the branch is located when held by the jaws whereby the branch and bark when released fall by gravity, mechanism for opening and closing said means, and driving means for the movable parts of the machine, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

' 2. In a bark rossing machine, the combination of a frame, a carriage supported by the frame and movable back and forth, branch gripping means and bark stripping means, one of said means being supported by the carriage and the other supported by the frame, .the means supported by the frame including jaws having an opening and closing movement, and means operated by the movement of the carriage for opening the jaws comprising a rock shaft connected to one of the jaws, an arm on the rock shaft, one of the jaws being mounted on the rock shaft to receive rocking movement therefrom and a member operated by the carriage and connected to said arm to rock said shaft, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a bark rossing machine, the combination of branch gripping and bark stripping means, both of said means comprising jaws having an opening and closing movement and one of said means being movable back and forth toward and from the other of said means in a horizontal direction, and one of the jaws of each of said means being pivotally mounted on an axis extending parallel and above the line of movement of the branch whereby when the jaws are open the branch is free to fall downwardly, and driving means for the movable parts of the machine, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. In a bark rossing machine, the combination of branch gripping means and bark stripping means, one of said means being movable back and forth toward and from the other of said means, the gripping means comprising a pair of jaws, spring means tending to close the jaws onto the branch, and mechanism for opening the jaws against the spring tension and suddenly releasing thejaws when in position to grip the branch, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a bark rossing machine, the combination of branch gripping means, bark stripping means, a carriage movable back and forth, the gripping means being supported by the carriage, the stripping means including a pair of jaws, one being movable toward and from the other, the gripping means including a pair of spring pressed jaws, means for opening both sets of jaws during the movement of the grippin means toward the stripping'jaws, means or closmg each set of jaws when the carriage In testimony whereof, we have hereunto signed our names at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga and State of New York, this 10 20th day of September, 1916.

JEWELL W. VANDERVEER. WILLIAM L. LYNCH.

reaches the end of its forward movement toward the stripping means, the means for closing the gripping jaws operating to suddenly close the gripping jaws at the end of said forward movement thereof toward the stripping jaws, substantially as and for the purpose described.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gomm'issioner of .Pateuts,

Washington, D. 0. 

